Water gauge for boilers



1,625,828 Aprll 26, 19.37. a SHAFFER ET AL WATER GAUGE FOR BOILERS FiledOqt. 29. 1926 IIIIIIIIII/J- Joy/v c. Shaffer X lynn 5. Man/cut PatentedApr. 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES:

1,625,828 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. SHAFFER Ann LYNN s. IMANKIN, or TULSA, OKLAHOMA, assrenoas Tomore. VALVE cor/Iran's, or rULsA, OKLAHOMA.

WATER GAUGE non BOILERS.

Application filed October 29, 1-926.

Our invention relates to improvements in water gauges.

In accordance with our invention, a water gauge is provided which isadapted for use upon high pressure steam boilers, while not necessarilyrestricted to this use. The water gauge is made of three major parts.The valve element or housing is mounted to reciprocate upon the stem ofthe body portion. This valve element or housing has a downwardlydirected port for the discharge of the steam or water. The valve elementor housing is readily separable from the body portion. The valve elementor housing can ries avalve seat, formed of relatively soft non-corrosivematerial, for co-action with the outlet end oi? the stem of the bodyportion and the contacting surfaces are so constructed that a tightjoint is effected between the same, when in contact and the tendency ofthe seating element to travel or become disturbed, is eliminated. Thedevice iurther embodies a handle having a part to engage with an outercam :tace formed upon the valve element or housing, said handle alsohaving additional means for opening and closing the valve element orseat.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying d awings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughoutthe same,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a water gauge embodying our invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same,

Figure 3 is a central vertical longitudinal section through the bodyportion and valve element or housing, parts being broken away, and,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the body portion and valve element orhousing, showing the same separated, for the purpose of illustration.

In the drawings, wherein 'for the purpose of illustration, is shown apreferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral 5 designates astationary tubular body portion, which is preferably flat and providedwith a longitudinal bore 6; The body portion is horizontally arrangedand is provided at its forward end with a tubular screw-threaded stem 7,for engagement Serial No. 144,993.

within an opening formed in a boiler shell 8. The body portion isprovided with a polygonal portion 9, for convenient engagement with awrench or like tool. The flat body portion 5 is provided at its rear endwith a tubular stem 10, through which the bore 6 passes. This tubularstem is preferably circular in cross section. The tubular stem isprovided at its rear or free end with a head or nozzle 11, having acontracted port Sin-rounding this contracted port, are a pair of spacedconcentric contact rings 13 and 14, formed upon the head or nozzle 11,as shown.

The tubular stem 10 is preferably horizontally arranged, and" projectsinto a cylindrical opening or bore 15 of a valve element or housing 16,which is preferably flat, as shown. The opening 15 is cylindricaland thevalve element or housing is heldagainst turning movement upon the bodyportion 5, by means of a forwardly projecting extension 17, having aflat horizontal shoulder 18, arranged to slidably engage beneathhorizontal shoulder 19, formed upon the body portion. In the normaloperation of the device, in testing the water level, these shoulders 18and 19 remain in sliding contact. The valve element or housinglo isprovided with a downwardly directed vertical outlet opening or port 20,as shown. This valve element or housing is also provided in its rear endwith a recess 21, lead ing. into the opening 20, and this recessrecei-v'es aseating element 22, formed of a relatively softnon-corrosive material, such as lead, baibhitt, zinc, copper, orcompositions of asbestos and graphite, or the like. This seating elementhas annular grooves formed therein, by the action oi the contact rings13 and 14. These contact rings, together with the sliding orreciprocating movement of the valve element or housing, serves toeliminate the tendency that the material of the seating element 22 mighthave to travel or become disturbed, thereby assuring a tight joint.- Asthe seating element 22 wears down, a new seating element may bereplaced, as is obvious.

The numeral .93 designates a weigh-ted handle, the forward end of whichis forked to provide a pair of spaced arms 24,- to be arranged uponopposite sides of the: valve element or housing 16 and the body portion5. These arms 24% are provided at their forward ends with transverseheads 25, extendinglaterally above and below the arms at, as shown. Theupper ends of these heads are apertured for receiving pivot elements ortrunnions 26, carried by the body portion 5. The lower ends of the headsproject downwardly between stop elements, pins or trunnions 27 and 28,carried by the valve element or housing 16, or extension 17 thereof. Theforward pins 27 engage forward cam faces 29 and the rear pins or.

elements 28 are adapted to engage rear cam faces 30. The distancebetween the pins 28 and 27 is greater than the width of the lower endsof the heads 25, thereby permitting of slight play between the parts,for a purpose to be described.

The handle 23 is provided adjacent to the bases of the arms 2st with atapered nose or cam 31, arranged to engage with a curved or cam face 32,formed upon the rear end of the valve element or housing 16.

In operation, when the weighted handle is released or moved downwardly,the cam faces 29 contact with the pins 27, thereby shifting the valveelement or housing 16 forwardly, so that the head 11 contacts with theseating element 22. The cam face 31 also contacts with the cam face 32,affording a powerful compound action in holding the head 11 upon theseating element 22. When the valve element or housing 1.6 is to beshifted outwardly, for testing the water level, the handle 23 is movedupwardly. The cam face 31 turns upon its pivots 26, which is eccentricto the are of the cam face 32, and the cam face 31 moves suilicientlyout of the path of travel of the cam face 32 before cam faces engagepins 28, for effecting the outward movement of the valve element orhousing. The further upward movement of the handle 23 increases thedistance between cam faces 82,.and 8i, and the further outward movementof the valve element or housing 16 is accordingly permitted. When thevalve element or housing 16 is in the inner or closed position thecontact rings 13 and let become iinbedded within annular grooves formedin the rela tively soft seating element 22, and this prevents anytendency of the seating element to spreader become distorted. Theopening 20 causes the steam to escape in a downwardly direction. Thevalve element or housing may be readily separated from the body portion,when desired, for replacing the seating element 22, and this may be donewhen the boiler is under steam pressure. Only a small amount of thesteam will escape through the contracted port 12 and the operator standsat the side of this port out of the way of the steam.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention, herewith shownand described, is to be taken as a. preferred example of the same, andthat various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may beresortcd to wlthout departing from the splrit of our invention or thescope of the sub joined claims.

Having thus described our invention, we elaim:-

1. In a water gauge, a tubular body portion for connection with aboiler, said tubular body portion having a tubular stem provided with anoutlet opening at its free end, a reciprocatory housing mounted to slideupon the tubular stem and having a laterally extending outlet opening,said housing being provided at its outer end with a cam face and havinga seating part to engage with the outlet end of the tubular stein, ahandle provided at its forward end with a pair of spaced arms and havinga cam face between the arms for contact with the rain face of thehousing, said arms being provided at their forward ends with transvcrsi:heads extending above and below the same, means for pivotally connectingthe upper ends of the transverse heads with the body portion, andshifting elements carried by the housing and arranged for 'ardly andrcarwardly of the lower ends of the transverse heads to contacttherewith.

2. In a water gauge, a tubular body portion for connection with a boilerand having an outlet, a reciprocatory housing mounted upon the tubularbody portion and having a part to cover said outlet and being providedwith an outlet opening, said housing having an outer cam face, a handle,provided at its forward end with a pair of spaced arms which arepivotally mounted upon the tubular body portion and are provided withlateral extensions said handle having a part to engage said cam face,and shifting elements carried by the housing and arranged upon theforward and rear sides of said lateral extensions.

3. In a water gauge, a tubular body portion for connection with a boilerand havin an outlet, a reciprocatory housing mounte d upon the tubularbody portion and having a part to cover said outlet and being providedwith an outlet opening, said housing being provided at its rear end witha cam face, a handle provided at its forward end with a pair of spacedarms which are pivotally mounted upon the tubular body portion at pointseccentric with relation to the cam face of the housing, said handlehaving a part to engage with said cam face, and shifting elementscarried by said housing. said arms having lateral extensions operat ingbetween said shifting elements with the distance between the shiftingelements being greater than the width of the lateral extensions toprovide for lost motion.

4. In a water gauge, a tubular body for connection with a boiler andhaving an out- IUD let, a housing mounted to reciprocate upon thetubular body and having an outlet and a part to cover the outlet of thetubular body, said housing having an outer contact face, and a leverpivotally connected with the tubular body and having a face to engagethe outer contact face of the housing, said faces being adapted to havewedging action, and means connecting said lever with the housing so thatthe housing-may be positively shifted to the open position by themovement of the lever in one direction.

5. In a water gauge, a tubular body for connection with a boiler andhaving an outlet, a reciprocatory valve member mounted upon the tubularbody and having a part to cover said outlet, said valve member having anouter contact face, a lever pivotally con nected with the tubular bodyand having a contact face adapted to have engagement with the firstnamed contact face, and a lost motion connection between the lever andthe valve member whereby the valve member may be positively shifted tothe outer position by the movement of the lever in one direction afterthe outer contact face of the mounted to reciprocate upon the tubularstem and having a part to cover the outlet and provided With asubstantially fiat extension arranged in lapping relation with theshould-er, a lever pivotally connected with the tubular body portion andprovided with alateral extension, and connecting means between saidlateral extension of the lever and the housing whereby the housing maybe positively shifted in opposite directions by the movement of thelever.

7. In a water gauge, a tubular body portion for connection with a boilerand having a tubular stem provided with an outlet, said tubular bodyportion having a shoulder, a reciprocatory housing mounted upon thetubular stem and provided with a laterally directed outlet and having apart to cover the outlet to the tubular stem, said housing having anextension arranged in overlapping relation with said shoulder, a leverpivotally connected with the tubular body portion and having a crank,and shifting elements secured to the housing and arranged upon oppositesides of the crank to engage therewith.

In testimony whereof we atiix our signatures.

JOHN C. SHAFFER. LYNN S. MANKIN.

